Quebec dad, Kamaljit Arora, charged with murder absent from court

LAVAL, Que. - A Quebec father accused of killing his two children in their home north of Montreal is still not able to appear before a judge.

Kamaljit Arora, 45, was charged on Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter Anzel, 13, and son Aaron, 11, in the Montreal suburb of Laval.

He also faces one count of assaulting his wife by strangulation.

Arora's appearance before a judge was put off on Tuesday after Crown and defence lawyers told a judge that he had been unresponsive since his arrest.

Prosecutor Karine Dalphond told the judge today that Arora's condition has not changed and he is still unable to communicate with a lawyer or speak to investigators.

The arraignment was put off until Thursday.

Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer paid tribute to Anzel and Aaron in a Facebook post and placed flowers on a growing memorial outside their home.

"I struggle to find the words to describe the infinite sadness of this tragedy, of which we still have so few details and which is already so revolting," Boyer wrote. "That innocent lives are taken in such a horrible way is beyond comprehension and deeply shakes all Laval residents."

He offered his condolences to the mother and older sister of the two young victims.